Rack for displaying rugs



May 7, 1935. F, F. KERR RACK FOR DISPLAYING BUGS Filed Dec. 26, 1933 n ZSnventor 7M 4%,

(lttorneg Patented May 7, 1935 UNITED STATES. PATENT; -O FFlCE' 2,000,336 I RACK FOR DISPLAYING BUGS Ford F. Kerr, Fresno, Calif. Application December 26, 1933,'Serial No. 703,891

2 Claims. (01.211476.

My invention relates to a rack for displaying rugs. In displaying rugs for sale it is the usual custom to have them piled onthe floor and leaf them over as onewould leaf a book. When the customer notes a rug as possibly desirable, to further display it the rugs on the top areremoved and the selected rug is taken from the pile and spread upon the floor. When the customer has left the pile of rugs must be replaced in the original order to be ready for a second customer. This entails much extra work, and is an inconvenient manner of displaying the rug. The objects of my invention are the placing of each rug on a rack so that it will require a minimum of effort to permit the customer to look over the entire selection, and each rug can be seen in its entirety, a minimum of space is necessary for the storage and display of the rugs, and any rug that is selected can be lowered to the floor and positioned so the customer can view it as it would appear in use, and. without much physical effort on the part of the salesman, and with a minimum effort the rugs can be replaced in the space provided for them after the customer has left. These and other objects have been accomplished by means of the device hereinafter described and illustrated on the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows a side view of the device with rugs hanging thereon. Fig. 2 is a front view of the device with the rugs removed therefrom. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a looking device for holding the arms of the rack in selective positions. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a wheel which is used in the dual capacity of a pulley and a roller.

Referring to the drawing, I have provided an upright support 8 which is pivoted at the lower end to floor 9 and at the upper end to a bracket I0. I preferably form the upright support of duplicate posts 8| and 82, which posts are spaced apart and joined adjacent to either end. The purposes of said dual construction is hereinafter set forth. A horizontal arm II is formed and positioned so that an end thereof will be adjacent to and at approximately right angles to one of said upright posts. Arm l l has a flat metal strap M on either side thereof which extends on either side of said upright post, and beyond said post. A wheel 21, which combines the functions of a pulley and aroller is positioned between the straps l4. When assembled the pulley 2| is on the side of the post opposite to arm H. A brace [2 extends from the under side of arm II and a spaced distance from an end thereof, diagonally to the upright post. At the upper end the brace i5 rig dlyattached to arm ll. At the lower end of said brace are plates l5,1on either side thereof which areadapted to :rotatingly support a wheel I] which likewise is adapt-H ed to operate as a roller. and-as a pulley. When 5 assembled .the wheel ,.l.'l'should be on the same side ofthe post ;as brace, !2, andthe plates should extend beyond the edge of the upright postand function as a yoke engaging the post. It will be noted that the preferred construction is to make 10 the thickness of the arm and the brace approximately the same as the thickness of the upright post, as one of the purposes of straps l4 and plates I5 is to hold the arm assembly in a semirigid relation to the post with reference to horil5 zontal movements, but to permit the arm assembly to be moved vertically on said post. A plurality of hooks or pins 23 extend upward from arm H for the purpose of holding rug 25 when the rug is held in a vertical position.

In Fig. l I have shown duplicate arms, one cooperating with duplicate post BI and one on duplicate post 82. The arm assembly 26 is near the top of post 82 and has a rug suspended therefrom, while the arm assembly2l has been low- 25 ered to near the bottom of the post and the rug 25 is partly spread upon the floor for inspection and display. The arms are moved up and down by the following mechanism: Aside from the pulley wheels I! and 2| which are mounted on the 30 moving arm and brace, I have provided pulleys l9 and 20 which are mounted near the top of each of said posts, and a pulley 22 which is positioned near the bottom of the posts. A look 3| is attached to the upright post just above pulley 35 This lock consists of an extension having a hole or eye 3H] at the loose end thereof. This lock is positioned so that the eye is not aligned with the rope hereinafter described, extending from pulley 22 to pulley 2|. 40

A rope 30 has one end attached to the upright post at a position designated 33. From that point the rope extends upward around pulley 2 l, thence downward through hole 3l0 in the lock, and

around pulley 22, thence upward over pulleys I9 45 and 20, thence downward around pulley l1, and thence upward where it is anchored to the post at the approximate position 34. The rope should be taut. The arms can be raised or lowered by pulling the rope either up orv down. To accomplish this easily the rope should be grasped above the lock and pulled in a direction which will relieve the rope from the friction with the lock, and at the same time pull the rope either downward or upward, depending on the direction,

either up or down, it is desired to move the arm assembly.

When the rugs are elevated as shown on arm assembly 26, they can be displayed in such vertical position by swinging the upright supports 8 on its pivots. Inasmuch as my preferred plan is to have two supporting arms on one support 8, the rugs should be hung with their backs adjacent, so the wearing faces of the rugs can be easily seen. l 1 I It has herein beennoted thatlthe wheels I! and 2| have the double function as pulleys and rollers. Roller 2| bears against one side 911 the post and roller I! bears against the opposite side, thus eliminating friction in moving the arm assem-- The function as a roller is as follows:

1. In a device. of the character described comprising an upright support having slideways on opposite sides of said support, an arm assembly adapted to be moved up and down on said support and on said slideways, said arm assembly having an upper and a lower brace, a roller attached to the lower brace adapted to bear against the side of the upright support nearest to the arm assembly, a roller attached to the upper brace and adapted to bear against the side of the upright support opposite to the arm assembly, each of said rollers having a groove around the periphery thereof adapting said rollers as pulleys, pulleys positioned adjacent to the bottom of the upright support and also adjacent to the top of said support; and a belt anchored at one end to the upright post adjacent to the lower end thereof, thence passing around the groove in the roller attached to the upper brace, thence down and around the pulley adjacent to the lower end of the'post, thence around the pulley at the top of said post, thence around the groove in the roller on said lower brace and thence to the top of said Post where said belt is anchored, said rollers being adapted as both rollers and pulleys.

2. A device described in claim 1 having friction means for breaking said belt.

FORD F. KERR. 

